Hotel manager from Durrow to run marathon with Colin Farrell to support amazing Abbeyleix woman

A HOTEL manager from Durrow is set to run a marathon with Hollywood star Colin Farrell, as they join forces to support an amazing Abbeyleix woman and friend.

Ger Alley, whose family owned the Copper Kettle restaurant in Durrow for many years, aims to cross the finish line with the famous actor and Emma Fogarty at the Dublin City Marathon on 27 October.

The plan is that Emma will join Ger and Colin for the final 4km of the marathon in her wheelchair, one km for every decade of her life, before the determined trio triumphantly cross the line together.

Now general manager of the luxurious Killashee Hotel in Co Kildare, Ger has known Emma for many years and deeply admires her strength and resilience against almost unbearable challenges.

Emma is well known as a remarkable patient ambassador for DEBRA, a charity that supports people like her born with the painful condition known as ‘butterfly skin’ or epidermolysis bullosa (EB). Eighty percent of her body is covered in sores and changing her bandages takes four hours every second day, leaving her in agony.

When Emma celebrated her 40th birthday last June she said it was a miracle, as people with her form of EB rarely live past the age of 35. When she was born, she was not expected to live more than a week but the courageous fighter is now the oldest EB survivor in Ireland.

Emma marked the major birthday milestone by announcing that Colin, her close friend and loyal supporter, would run the Dublin marathon for DEBRA and now they will be joined by equally loyal supporter Ger.

The Durrow man has a long-standing connection with Emma, whose dad Malachy Fogarty was his maths teacher in secondary school. Ger and Emma are around the same age and their paths often crossed in their neighbouring towns over the years.

Ger was appointed general manager at Killashee two years ago and the hotel has a close association with Emma, who dreamed of having a garden where people affected by EB could go to enjoy peace and tranquillity. The hotel’s beautiful Butterfly Garden fulfilled her dream when it opened in 2012.

Running the Dublin City Marathon has been a long-standing aspiration for Ger, who is passionate about fitness and believes in pushing himself to achieve new goals.

As a dad of four young children, balancing work, home life and training keeps him on his toes but his wife Eimear shares his love for running and fitness, so they support each other in maintaining a healthy balance.

When he told his friends, family and work colleagues, their reaction was more of recognition than surprise. Ger said: “They know how much I thrive on challenges and how determined I am once I set my mind to something. The support I've received has been incredibly encouraging. It has been heartening to see how much they believe in me, giving me even more motivation to cross that finish line.

As the countdown to the marathon begins, Ger is following a 12-week training plan designed by Emmet Quinlan. Most of his training is early in the morning or late at night, when the house is quiet and the children are asleep. The team at Killashee is also supporting DEBRA, with ‘40 Days of Fitness and Fundraising’ that started on 17 September, with activities ranging from walking to swimming, running or cycling.

To make a donation or find out more about the marathon run and DEBRA, see the hotel website at killasheehotel.com or https://www.idonate.ie/fundraiser/GerAlley1, https://www.DEBRA.ie/emmas-40th-birthday-wish/